The present invention pertains to the field of carriers for racking or storing panel-like structures such as ceramic substrates, printed wiring boards, semiconductor wafers, LCD panel displays and the like, and more particularly to an adjustable carrier structure which adjusts to structures of varying sizes without the use of tools.
Many businesses require the handling and storage of fragile panel-like structures or parts, with the attendant problems of product breakage, chipping, scratching and other damage during handling. Examples of such parts include ceramic substrates for circuits, semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal display panels and the like. Carrier devices are available for protection of the parts in transit or storage. In many cases, however, the products may be available in more than one size, requiring either that more than one size of carrier device be stocked in order to handle the available sizes of parts, or that the carrier structure be adjustable to accommodate different parts sizes.
Known carrier devices are either adjusted to a permanent shape or size, or require tools to change from one configuration to another as needed. Examples of adjustable carriers include the A135, PA83 and PA85 series of adjustable carriers marketed by Flouroware of Chaska, Minn. Such devices are adjusted by loosening several nuts, adjusting the positions of components and tightening the nuts again. Further, these devices require assembly of the various parts, with tools such as screwdrivers and nut drivers. The components of these devices can come apart, and can suffer damage or loss if disassembled.
The requirement of the conventional adjustable carrier devices that tools be used for assembly or size adjustment is a significant disadvantage. In a stockroom environment it is not practical to have highly mechanized packaging devices. The personnel involved in the handling and storing of the product are often not skilled in the use of the tools required for assembly and adjustment of the carriers. Further, such assembly and adjustment processes are time consuming.
It would therefore represent an advance in the art to provide a carrier device for panel-like structures or the like which is adjustable to accommodate various product sizes, without the use of tools, and which can greatly reduce the need for stocking various sizes of carriers.